Usurpation of Mongolia: My father-in-law is Genghis Khan

Chapter 249 Where the Nile River flows, it also becomes Han territory!

After passing through the desert region of the Sinai Peninsula, Zhao He's army entered the rich Nile Delta.

Apart from the Sinai Peninsula, Egypt can be divided into two parts.

The Nile Valley and its surrounding areas south of the Nile Delta are known as Upper Egypt.

The Nile Delta and surrounding areas are known as Lower Egypt.

The Nile Delta was formed by the silt carried by the Nile River at its mouth. It is low-lying, with fertile soil, a network of rivers and canals, strong sunlight, abundant water resources, and well-developed irrigated agriculture.

Although this area is only over 30,000 square kilometers, it contains two-thirds of Egypt's arable land and half of Egypt's population.

Whoever controls the Nile Delta controls Lower Egypt. And controlling the whole of Egypt is not far off.

The Ayyubid dynasty implemented a scorched-earth policy to protect the Nile Delta.

The harvest season here is from April to July, but Zhao He's army entered Egypt in December. Although the crops were still lush and green, they couldn't possibly be ripe yet. But who knew when Zhao He would withdraw his troops?
The Ayyubid dynasty also destroyed a large amount of fertile land within a hundred miles west of the Sinai Peninsula through means such as burning and flooding.

All soldiers, civilians, and slaves hid in cities large and small throughout Egypt and held their ground.

This tactic is very effective against the Crusaders. For example, during the Fourth Crusade, when the Crusaders crossed the sea, the Egyptians burned the farmland near the port of Damyat and held the city, causing the Crusaders considerable trouble.

To halt the Mongol army's advance, they even destroyed all the bridges across the Nile Delta. The Crusaders would certainly have been alarmed by such a situation.

However, for the Mongol army, these two tactics were child's play.

On the surface, Zhao He led the main force to attack the small Egyptian town of Dunoslan, but in reality, he had already sent Hai Rige to lead the Flying Eagle Army and seven Han army commanders to make a 400-mile detour and launch a surprise attack on the port of Damyat.

What does it mean if there's no bridge over the river?
When the Mongol army crossed the Amu Darya River, they didn't have boats either. They made leather rafts from cowhides, tied them to the horses' tails, and pulled their warhorses across the river by the leather rafts.

Not to mention, in historical records, the Yuan army once crossed the Jinsha River using "leather bags." They produced a large number of leather bags. When crossing the river, each Yuan soldier tied a leather bag to his body, and several people formed a small group to support a bamboo raft. The bamboo raft carried military equipment and supplies, and they crossed the Jinsha River by ropes. It was as if divine soldiers had descended from the sky and captured Dali.

Zhao He was deeply influenced by Zhao Shuo's teachings. During his six months in Jerusalem, he had made ample preparations in terms of supplies and received sufficient training. What were the various rivers of the Nile Delta compared to that?
The scorched earth policy and the numerous fortified cities ahead gave the port of Dumyat a false sense of security, completely unaware of the Mongol army's 400-mile flanking maneuver and surprise attack.

In less than a day, the port of Dumyat fell, and a large number of ships, soldiers and food supplies fell into the hands of Hairig.

Then, the dense network of waterways in the Nile Delta became the Mongol army's best friend. The captured ships transported large quantities of military provisions for the Mongol army.

Those soldiers captured at the port of Dumyat became soldiers of the Mongol army's Balu Battalion, conquering cities and territories for them.

The white and red tents of the Mongols have been erected again.

In cities that did not surrender, only young female artisans and children no taller than a cartwheel could survive. In cities that surrendered, the women and artisans were unharmed, but all the men were conscripted and had to fight for the Mongols to capture another city in order to survive.

Zhao He's territory grew larger and larger, like a snowball rolling downhill.

The Nile Delta is too small overall, totaling less than 30,000 square kilometers.

Within two months, most of the Nile Delta region was under Mongol control.

Zhao He's massive army marched towards Cairo, the city between Upper and Lower Egypt.

……

……

The Royal Palace in Cairo.

"Sultan, Zhao He's army is the strongest in the Mongol army. We must not fight them head-on! The fact that the land of the Nile Delta has fallen into Zhao He's hands so easily is proof of that! Now, we only have three paths."

"The first option is to hold Cairo. Wait for the rainy season to come, for the Nile to flood, and see if there's an opportunity to use the Nile to defeat the Mongols."

"The second option is to surrender to the Mongols directly. If we offer Cairo to them, surely the Mongols won't kill us all? Zhao He didn't kill all the Bedouin chiefs, did he?"

"The third option is to escape Cairo before the Mongols can encircle us. We can lead a large army to occupy vast swathes of land in the south. The land there is barren, and the Mongols might not pursue us. If the Sultan really can't endure the hardship, we can also seek refuge in Europe or the Song Dynasty in the east!"

A beautiful woman with fair skin, delicate features, and a seductive figure pleaded earnestly with the current Sultan Adil II of the Ayyubid dynasty.

This beautiful young woman's name is Shezerduer, which translates to "pearl branch" in Chinese.

She was originally a slave girl of the Caliph of Baghdad, but was later sold to Saleh, the second prince of the Ayyubid dynasty.

After giving birth to a son for Saleh, Pearl Branch was freed from her status as a slave girl and became Saleh's favorite concubine.

If history had unfolded as it should have, after the death of Sultan Kamil of the Ayyubid dynasty, his eldest son Adil II would have succeeded him.

Adil II was incompetent and lacked prestige. In less than two years, he was overthrown by his brother Saleh, who became the Sultan of the Ayyubid dynasty, and Pearl Branch became the Queen.

Later, Saleh died in battle, and Pearl Branch decisively stabilized the situation, leading her army to capture King Louis IX of the Franks and becoming Queen of the Ayyubid dynasty.

Unfortunately, this happy period didn't last long. A woman ruling was too shocking in the world of true gods. Not long after, under immense pressure, Pearl Branch married General Aibak, made him Sultan, and ushered in a new era for the Mamluk Sultanate of Egypt.

However, Zhao He changed history.

During the Battle of Baghdad, Kamil and Saleh were both skinned alive, and the incompetent and foolish Adil II became the Sultan of the Ayyubid dynasty.

With no brothers vying for power and the Ayyubid dynasty facing a significant threat from the Mongols, Adil II's position as Sultan remained quite secure.

Having secured his position as Sultan, Adil II set his sights on his charming sister-in-law, Pearl Branch, and brought her into his harem.

Now, Pearl Branch has become a favorite of Adil II.

The Mongol army is now advancing rapidly and is about to reach Cairo. Adil II has decided to mobilize the main force of the Ayyubid dynasty to meet the enemy. Pearl Branch strongly opposes this and puts forward three suggestions to Adil II.

Of course, Pearl Branch thought that Adil II was very incompetent and could not possibly defeat the Mongol army, and even thought of abandoning everything to go to Europe or Song.

However, Adil II himself did not see it that way.

In his view, although Egypt was very dangerous, he might still have a chance to win.

“My dear consort, you are a woman, so don’t worry about matters of state.” Adila II shook his head and said, “Zhao He has incorporated a large number of the garrison troops of various cities into the Balu Camp, conscripted the men of various cities into the army, and even added the bravest among them to the Han Army’s Eight Banners. In this way, how could he not know the nature of the Nile River? Hoping to annihilate Zhao He’s army by taking advantage of the Nile’s flood is simply impossible.”

"Although Cairo is a well-fortified city, Zhao He has besieged it without attacking. What will we do if his main force takes Lower Egypt? Then Zhao He will drive a large number of Egyptian civilians to forcibly attack the city, and he won't care how many people die. Not to mention, hundreds of thousands of soldiers and civilians have already flooded into Cairo. If this continues, we won't even be able to supply our food."

"As for surrender and escape? How could I, as the Sultan of the true God’s people, possibly kneel before infidels? Abandoning my own people is certainly not an option for me."

In fact, if the main forces of the five Mongol armies had arrived together, Adil II might have fled.

But with only Zhao He present, Adil II believed he still had a chance.

Although Pearl Branch was not convinced, she still asked, "Then, Great Sultan, what do you intend to do?"

"Let's proceed according to the original plan. Deploy 200,000 troops from Cairo and engage Zhao He in a decisive battle at the foot of the pyramids! Hmph, how many soldiers does Zhao He have? He conquers a city and then releases the conscripts from the previous one. Now, even with the Balu camp, he only has about 70,000 to 80,000 men. With our 200,000 troops deployed, we might not be no match for him!"

“Instead of defending Cairo, you’re choosing to fight in the open field. Shouldn’t the Sultan reconsider?” Pearl Branch, though thinking Adil II had lost his mind, still cautiously advised.

Adil II, however, said confidently, "My mind is made up, my beloved consort, there's no need to persuade me any further. While Zhao He has not yet taken Lower Egypt and the morale in Cairo is high, let's fight Zhao He to the death!"

He paused, then greedily reached out and pulled his large hand toward Pearl's soft waist, saying, "Come! My beloved, I'm leading the army into battle tomorrow! Let's have some fun today, and pray that under the protection of the true god, I will wipe out those despicable heretics and achieve an unprecedented victory for the True God's Church!"

"Uh... never mind."

Pearl Branch shook her head and said, "I'm not feeling well today, so I won't serve the Sultan. Once the Sultan returns victorious, you can do whatever you want, and I will do everything as the Sultan wishes."

"Then it's settled!"

Although the pearl twigs are beautiful and graceful, King Adil II has played with them countless times and is no longer particularly eager for them.

After gently scratching Pearl Branch's delicate nose, he stood up, turned around, and left to visit the other concubines in the harem.

Pearl Branch returned to her chambers and immediately ordered someone to summon Aibak, the Mamluk commander.

"So? Has Adil agreed to defend Cairo to the death, or to flee?" Seeing that no one was around, Aibak asked anxiously. He showed no respect for Adil, addressing him by his first name.

In his view, Adil II was unlikely to choose the option of surrender; there were only these two options left.

However, Pearl Branch's face was frosty as she gritted her teeth and said, "No, we were all wrong. That fool Adile is stubbornly insisting on a decisive battle with Zhao He outside Cairo, to decide the outcome in one fell swoop! If wars could be won simply by having more people, why did we lose the Battle of Baghdad?"

"Then...what should we do?"

As they were talking, Aibike stepped forward and took Pearl Branch's small hand in his.

It turns out that Pearl Branch had no affection for Adil II, who had forcibly taken her, and had already been having an affair with this young and handsome Mamluk general.

Her advice to Adil II wasn't really for his benefit, but rather for her own and her lover's safety.

Pearl Branch said, “Cairo is under martial law today, and we can’t leave the city. Tomorrow, we will have a decisive battle with Zhao He’s army. You must be vigilant. If we can defeat Zhao He, that would be best. If we lose, you must escape back to Cairo as soon as possible. We will escape together, leading your Mamluks to the southern continent to establish our own country.”

"If all else fails, we can flee to the State of Song in the south! Hasn't the Pu family of Song been keeping in touch with us all along?"

Aibak nodded and said, "Okay, I'll do whatever you say."

As they were talking, Aibike kissed her deeply and began to make love to Pearl and Little Branch.

……

……

The next day, dawn.

Fifteen miles outside Cairo lies the Giza Plateau.

This area is actually on the edge of the Nile Delta, a desolate desert. Because of its dry climate, suitable for preserving corpses, and its high elevation, which prevented flooding, it became the site for the construction of many ancient Egyptian pyramids.

A flat terrain is fair to both sides.

Zhao He's 35,000 regular troops, over 6,000 Bedouin soldiers, and over 26,000 Balu battalion soldiers, totaling nearly 70,000 troops, arrayed themselves on the Jugiza Plateau.

Opposite him was the 200,000-strong army of the Ayyubid dynasty of Egypt.

Early February in Egypt is not cold, with daytime temperatures around 20 degrees Celsius and a gentle northerly wind. Gazing at the golden desert in front of you, dotted with pyramids and the strange Sphinx, it is truly a breathtaking experience.

"Two vice commanders, when you were in the East, did you ever see such a magnificent sight?" Zhao He asked, looking at Hai Rige and Shi Tianze from his horse.

Hai Rige said, "Of course not. I thank Your Majesty. Without your support, how could I have led such a large army here and established such a great achievement?"

This is what he thinks.

If they were veteran commanders under Genghis Khan, or their descendants, they would certainly say, "Thank you, Genghis Khan and His Majesty."

However, since Hai Rige was someone Zhao Shuo had personally promoted, he could only express his gratitude to Zhao Shuo.

Shi Tianze was now filled with even greater pride, saying, "We Han people have a saying: 'Wherever the sun shines and the rivers flow, that is Han territory!' But in reality, back in the Han Dynasty, opening up the Western Regions was already a remarkable achievement. Who would have known that there were so many countries, such vast lands, and so many different ethnic groups in the world?"

He paused, then pointed to the ruined pyramids and said, "Since Egypt has these ancient sites, they must have some history. However, we Han Chinese have arrived!"

"All the land under heaven will belong to the king! All foreign tribes, no matter how brilliant their culture or how powerful their military, must kneel before the king if they do not wish to be completely annihilated!"

On the other side, Adil II also looked towards Zhao He's army.

To reiterate, in Pearl Branch's eyes, he was a complete idiot, but he had a very high opinion of himself.

"As expected, this Sultan's prediction was correct. Zhao He's army is less than 100,000, probably not even 80,000. Our army, on the other hand, will exceed 200,000!"

King Adil II raised his mace high and declared, "All troops, attack! God bless us! We will surely win this decisive battle!"

(End of this chapter)